this is d. w. musa live from berlin and a landmark ruling for gay rights in india. the country's top court strikes down a nineteenth century law that made made gay sex a crying now a new hope for gay people in india to live and love without fear we'll get the latest from delhi. also coming up a father in syria as it lived prepares for the worst he's making gas masks for his children fearful residents of the race for bloodshed as syrian and russian forces

threaten a final assault on the last rebel stronghold and. a rock star reception for my tale salvini italy's far right interior minister. he helped launch to a populist coalition into power nearly one hundred days in office t w looks at how well people think the coalition is doing that actually governing the country. i'm sorry kelly welcome to the program india's supreme court has struck down a colonial era law that made gay sex a crime punishable by up to ten years in prison the community and india fought against that law for many years and its unanimous decision today the supreme court said that the legislation was quote a rational. indefensible and manifestly arbitrary in court filings petitioners had

given evidence of the emotional cost of living positive lives and fearing police persecution because of their sexuality. i'm ok more on this now we are joined by d.w. very own sonia from the car who is in delhi outside of the courthouse and sonia as we just heard here this is a very big decision for the country a lot country a landmark one what goes through the verdict. you're right i mean this is really i think a story maybe in india you know i'm standing outside the supreme court where to many activists and students lawyers for the position and antecedents are really very moving you know people celebrating cheering which is breaking down in tears and you know when we look at the verdict and the chief justice of india the official said you know what reading the judgment that should we have to pay if it favors prejudices and power also disease and said respect for individual choice you

know it's a local cable t.v. it should be community safe but this is equal rights under the constitution so it's really there is no doubt here that just laws will be appealed either the will finally be. scrapped and remember i mean this is a really long title campaign as you know the law and of course back to the chile since two thousand and one and since july that there will be between a really emotional debate at the top court over the rights of freedom i'm and quite and you really i mean you highlighted there the emotional cost that this law has had for gays in india living in fear that they could basically be picked up by police and persecuted is something that you reported on extensively and i'd like to pick play one of your reports now this is a report that you did from luck now and then there after get your reaction. and nineteenth century mostly i'm in luck now a refuge for gay men like our if jeff find his partner of over ten years it's

a place where they can be free from society's glare in a country where a lot criminalizing homosexuality known as section three seven seven has been used as a cover to hound gay people it is making their lives hell they are defeated every day of fierce black males extortion rape heris men beating what people sort of them just commit suicide just because the fear that they would be outed by the police or the by the community because it is seen as a criminal. irie flows that all too well he runs h i v awareness programs among the working class gay population and activity fraught with risk in india several years ago he and his colleagues were thrown into prison they were charged with conspiracy to commit sodomy and for possessing so-called obscene materials. for the schalke

because what we're trying was trying to see and lives and we are being imprisoned and that was a horrific because. the mitchell tended to deny drinking water being beaten up regularly. left so many scars i reflowed most of his teeth because of the beatings and the poor hygiene in prison he was shunned by his friends it took years before he dared to enter a police station again but he hasn't given up the fight that he's one of the petition is who fought for india's top court to decriminalise him a sexuality among the gay community the poor of the most vulnerable. in no one at this workshop on safe sex wants to show their face their husbands and fathers some of them a sex workers all of them lead a double life that will get to my boyfriends out the there was

a lot of pressure on me to get married as a man you're expected to do that and run the family more liberal have a target goes up there and no one in my family or my neighborhood knows i'm gay if they did they'd call me a faggot my family wouldn't accept me anymore say as he goes out the. irish spends long hours at the office he draws strength from his face and his family especially his mother he's been hugely supportive. in the evening irish work is far from over he goes to public parks where homosexual men can find sexual partners and yet remain anonymous in the shadows the risk of contracting h.i.v. is high and that's not the only danger. the men when they're approaching their customers who need sponsorship will trade them off putting them into gear on the under the pretext of section three seven seven. and and using that pretext to blackmail them extort money or rape them and out of why the feel that the law

should go because if it while it's obvious that fundamental rights do exist. but india's supremes court has just decriminalized section three seven seven making gay sex legal there's finally hope that people may be able to step out of the shadows. and now gay sex in the country and no longer a crime but sonia we have to mention though being gay is still very much taboo in socially conservative india right i mean how are indians likely to react to this court decision. yeah i think you're right i mean you don't get sick children being very much trouble even conservative you know there is widespread sometimes because i usually homophobia there's a lot of police brutality and how do you reach four hundred to four i think most people i spoke to today of all you don't see that the speed looked at that it's

really the first it going on always the first day but it's just a constant in the ongoing far more difficult journey off you know battling the social and by these games and it's also the spike regularly you know and to get their homosexuality is a disease which can be cured so i think the real battle now is really about acceptance in new jobs in colleges in housing crises even in family gatherings and it's really about getting people to rethink their perfection about what is normal and i think that one subject i wus very young sonia phonic are joining us a live from outside india's top court which has struck down a nineteenth century law making gay sex a crime sonia thank you so much for bringing us up to date. now let's get a quick check of some other stories making news around the world in japan at least nine people have died and hundreds more injured after a powerful earthquake struck the island of hokkaido in the north of the country the

earthquake triggered landslides and knocked out power for nearly three million homes dozens of people are missing. north and south korean leaders are said to hold a summit later this month to discuss practical steps toward the denuclearization of the korean peninsula north korea's kim jong un has again expressed his willingness for close cooperation with south korea and the united states to achieve that goal. monitor group say that one thousand civilians have fled rebel held a live province ahead of an expected offensive by syrian and russian forces about three million people still remain in syria's last rebel stronghold. they're pinning their hopes last hopes rather for peace on talks between russia turkey and iran set for friday without a breakthrough will likely be the final showdown of syria's seven year war the u.n. warns it could be a bloodbath. with nowhere left to go civilians and struggling

to find ways to keep their families safe having witnessed a massive military build up over the last week because father is preparing for the worst. making protective masks for my children and others in the area because people fear there will be a chemical attack. in this densely populated region others are seeking safety under ground of. most people in this village have a cave connected to their house. these caves were abandoned during the truce that lasted six or seven months now people are again preparing for an offensive and stockpiling food inside so if an attack takes place we can go into the. fearful residents are bracing for bloodshed as the syrian government masses its

troops on board. the first strikes hit the rebel enclave on tuesday syria's ally russia released footage purporting to show russian warplanes attacking what it calls terrorist targets but human rights groups say several civilians were killed. international calls amounting to avoid an all out onslaught and an ensuing humanitarian catastrophe. turning now to italy where the country's populist government is closing in on one hundred days in office taking center stage as interior minister my tale salvini his anti migrant policies have clear. he's his far right league party and polls suggest that its support has doubled since the march election but skeptics find plenty wrong with the populist government. man reports from the northern italian city.

the size of the show is about to start after hours of waiting such enthusiasm begs the question is this really the interior minister of italy or a pop star. the lego was founded close to where we are right now and it's been hosting this first of all for many years now so this is classic home turf for the uni and you can tell people here absolutely adore him. and his fans appear satisfied with what he's done in the first one hundred days in office especially on migration why why should be supportive he's trying to protect the three strike to give us a better part of the. park on before i need to get it. we believe in solving any and what he's doing that this can be a revolution for. a lot of things are moving for i went and he's keeping his promises to the pyramid think it's. even mean that it's time and. no surprise that his promises on migration are

a big part of the solving the show but outside the populous bubble many are getting nervous about what the new government is actually achieving especially the financial markets. much of what there are people who are against us government is free and independent from the multinationals from big finance from the banking powers both international and european we have no fears the italian economy is sound it's not in business is sound. and most economists disagree insisting that italy's in trouble but facts don't seem to get in the way of success. across the river from the festival people are trying to do something about that. political entity or has organized a protest picnic they are sick of their new government claiming that migration is responsible for everything we've. got that anybody thought it was going on

in reality it is problems like elsewhere we have high youth unemployment and many other people have only temporary jobs there are very few young people who get permanent contracts we have a high poverty rate in relative and absolute terms. it's no surprise that the event on this side of the river is the only one to host some migrants. on the other side show is drawing to a close the interior minister's folks and sometimes funny demeanor is one of the reasons why he's managed to govern and gain in popularity he admits though when pressed that it's not all been fun and games yes. well it's not easy it's really is a big country we have a challenge but i was tired of being in the opposition and. in the opposition the

answers to complex problems are often easier. the first one hundred days in power unscathed. will have to show if you can actually. teach here ask. god and with that you're up to date and thanks. love we were out there are shirts when do we want to know are out in the percent of americans itself and really experience friendship.